Beyoncé, Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga are suddenly appearing on students’ Facebook news feeds across the campus.These famous friends are the result of Doppelgänger Week, when users change their profile pictures to celebrities they resemble.This week, Facebook news feeds showed a notification which said, “It’s Doppelgänger week on Facebook; change your profile picture to someone famous (actor, musician, athlete, etc.) you have been told you look like. After you update your profile with your twin or switched at birth photo then cut/paste this to your status.”The trend caught on quickly.The Facebook fan page boasts more than 9,000 members — and some students reported their friend lists had been taken over by celebrities.For those unable to come up with a celebrity likeness, the My Heritage Web site recently launched Doppelgangerweek.com to answer the question. A reported 350 million Facebook users have flooded the Web site to find their famous twins.Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term doppelgänger as “a ghostly counterpart of a living person.” It is derived from the German words “doppel” meaning “double” and “ganger” meaning “go-er.”It’s hard to tell where trends like Doppelgänger Week begin but Facebook IT worker Bob Patel is taking credit for starting the trend.He said the idea started after coworkers began comparing him to actor Tom Selleck.But not everyone is buying into the trend.Kinesiology junior Adam McCreary said he liked the idea of the project but will not be posting his doppelgänger on Facebook.”I’m on the fence about it,” McCreary said. “I like the idea of having a doppelgänger, but I do my best to avoid Facebook trends.”Graphic design freshman Darin Tran said she hasn’t changed her picture for the week but was interested to find her famous match.Historically doppelgängers have taken on a more sinister nature. Seeing one’s doppelgänger is considered an omen of death in German folklore.Abraham Lincoln reportedly saw his doppelgänger at various points in his life, according to Carl Sandburg’s biography, “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years.”The superstitious president was plagued by dreams of seeing two faces when he looked into a mirror. His wife accurately prophesied the dreams meant he would be elected to second term of presidency but would not survive the term.Doppelgängers also make appearances in the works of Edgar Allan Poe. A ghostly double haunts a character in “The Fall of the House of Usher.”But Facebook users could risk ridicule if their doppelgänger’s likeness isn’t quite as uncanny as they think.The comparison is harmless, but posting an inaccurate look-a-like could be “setting yourself up for failure,” according to anthropology and sociology senior Bryant Dixon.”It is consistent with the Facebook ethos that encourages one to categorize oneself within easily recognizable social symbols,” said communication studies assistant professor Nathan Crick. “For good or bad, it asks us to reduce ourselves to a type.”Questions have been raised about whether posting pictures of a celebrity twin could violate Facebook’s Terms of Service policy. Since media companies own most celebrity photos, posting such a picture could be considered property theft. According to the Terms of Service, “You will not post content or take any action on Facebook that infringes or violates someone else’s rights or otherwise violates the law.”Facebook representatives said they have received no complaints from copyright holders.——Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]